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I would like to compile a database of test kits since I am not quite satisfied with my tetra test (see pic).

For each test kit (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, gh, kh, iron, phosphate, c02, etc.) please specify the brand and post the scale and/or a pic of the color charts. Now I know that these kits are not that accurate but at least we could look for the best one out there.

I'm looking for something with a smaller increment in scale with colors that are not too close of a shade to each other (see my ph test and ammonia). The Aquapharm master kit seems to be sufficient regarding the scale but I do not know the colors in it. So if anyone can take a pic of the cards that info is highly appreciated and will be added to the database/FAQ

Thanks.

-Jon

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database/FAQ:

zazz said:

...
It[Aqua Pharm kit] also measures in shades of yellow/green. Maybe, by memory, a little more clear than your pic looks...
But IMHO, its not a Big deal. What i did was /do is,
Put the tube against a very white background. If i perceive Any change from the simple yellow, that is Any greening at all, I change water.
This will be fine for cycling IMO/IME
any other time there should be NO ammonia registering anyway, so the same aplies.
hope thats helpful.

ditto zazz, any little change in color...you can tell it goes to a slighly more putrid yellow-green instead of the cheery sunshine yellow the color seem in the aquapharm to be a bit more vibrant than the tetra, that helps to read better.

within the other tests in the kit, there are colors that are very close, but again, if it changes from the base color, you should change the water.
...

For one thing, these kits aren't extremely accurate to start with, the human error prevalent in this thread is a big reason why. If you actually want an accurate kit, you'll need to standardize it yourself, and that means having a pure source of analyte: ammonia, nitrite, whatever. A means to accurately measure the quantity of both water and analyte, like a scale and volumetric glassware, and a means to record the colour. Is this practical? Heck no.

Hobby test kits give you a general sense of what's up in the tank, but not a quantitative picture. If you want accuracy and precision, you're going to need to shell out the buck on Lamotte and Hatch. If you're happy just knowing approximately how much ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate is in your tank, then your basic kits are fine. Whether it's AP, Tetra, Hagen/Nutrafin, doesn't matter. If your ammonia is so low that you're stuck trying to tell whether it's 0ppm or 0.25ppm, you're on the right track - assuming a fishy cycle. Ditto for NO2, check your colour scale and do your water changes so that only the palest pink is visible. And as zazz suggested, put the tube up against a clean, white background and look at it through even lighting.

Easily amused

This is the Hagen Ammonia test kit, NH3/NH4. Note they have a couple different kinds, this is the one in the orange box for "Fresh & Salt Water." It has 3 regents. The plus is the lowest reading as 0.1 - the minus, you have to wait 20 minutes for the result.

In case you can't read the numbers on the pic, they are in the following increments:

RIP my precious kitty baby

For NITRATE: I currently use the AP test kit, but have a dickens of a time trying to tell which one it is if it gets past 10, but the colors are so hard to distinguish. All orange/reds and just a variety of intensities of the same colors! Does anyone know of one that is more like the nitrite - blues, lavenders, etc... where the colors are different for the levels and not just various shades of the same color? The ph chart is a good example, it's easy to tell which one. I hope someone can help - I'm so tired of straining my eyes. The ammonia one isn't really easy either. We just go with the top two (it never gets below the second one down - .25) - and say... does it have ANY green in it or not? That's the only way we can get that one either.

Any "easier on the eyes" suggestions would be ever so much appreciated! Someone must make a nitrate test kit that has different colors rather than darker and lighter shades of the same colors???